Google starts production of ‘Made in India’ Pixel 8 smartphones
Production of the Google Pixel 8 has begun in India, the company announced on social media on Monday. The smartphone was set to launch globally in October 2023. During the Google for India event held the same month, Google Senior Vice President of Devices and Services Rick Osterloh confirmed that the company would begin assembling its current Pixel 8 in India in 2024. However, only select variants of the Pixel 8 series will be made locally.
Google Pixel 8 Made in India
In a after On X (formerly Twitter), the official Google India account confirmed that it has begun assembly of the Pixel 8 in India, with the first batch of devices rolling off the production line. The Pixel 8 series specifically consists of three models: Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and the recently introduced Pixel 8a.
TechCrunch, however, reports that it is only the base Pixel 8 that has started local production. Google’s global manufacturing arm Compal is said to have partnered with local electronic manufacturing services (EMS) company Dixon Technologies for production. The plant is said to have an initial capacity of 100,000 units per month, of which around 25-30 percent is earmarked for export.
The announcement comes just hours before Google launches its latest flagship smartphones, the Pixel 9 series. While the global Made by Google event is scheduled for today, a launch event in India is scheduled for tomorrow (August 14).
It’s also unclear if the local production of the Pixel 8 will have an impact on its pricing. Notably, the Google Pixel 8 price in India starts at Rs. 75,999. It comes in two storage options — 128GB and 256GB. The handset is being sold through Flipkart, Google’s only authorized retailer in the country. However, that could change soon as Google is expected to start offline sales of the Pixel 9 series through retailers like Croma and Reliance Digital.
